Not many child actors manage their acting careers and successfully transition through teen and adult roles; however, Glen Rock native Charlie Tahan is an exception. Introduced to the trade at a tender age, he broke out as Ethan at 9 in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi horror film I Am Legend (2007) alongside Will Smith. At 15, he played Michael Pierzynski in Guillaume Canet’s crime thriller Blood Ties (2013), and at 19, he landed what many referred to as his biggest role as Josh in the psychological thriller Super Dark Times (2017).
He also has several TV credits, including Calvin Arliss in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2010-2011), Ben Burk in Wayward Pines (2015-2016), Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in Gotham (2015-2017), and Wyatt Langmore in Ozark (2017-2022). There’s more you need to know about him.
Charlie Tahan’s Early Life And Background
Charlie Tahan, the second of three children, was born on June 11, 1998, in Glen Rock, New Jersey, to Ellie and Michael Tahan. He grew up in his hometown with his older brother Willie Tahan and his younger sister Daisy Tahan, who is also an actress known for her role as Samantha Focker in the 2010 romcom Little Fockers.
Regarding his education, he attended Glen Rock High School. It is unclear if he went to college after graduating high school.
The Glen Rock Native Was Introduced To Acting By The Children Of A Family Friend
Charlie Tahan started acting at a young age, thanks to the children of a family friend who were already in the business and introduced him. He began doing TV commercials when he was around 4 or 5 years old.
At the age of 9, he got his breakout role as Ethan, a young survivor in the 2007 post-apocalyptic sci-fi horror film I Am Legend. He appeared alongside Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok, Emma Thompson, Salli Richardson, and Willow Smith, among others. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $585 million on a production budget of $150 million and one of the highest-grossing films of 2007.
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How Tahan Transitioned From A Child Actor
Usually, child actors struggle to maintain their careers or transition to teen or adult roles, and sometimes their momentum fades. However, Tahan proved that theory wrong by landing more roles over the next five years. At 10, he played Danny Willis in Nights in Rodanthe (2008). By 11, he portrayed William in The Other Woman (2009). Between 12 and 14, he appeared in Meskada (2010) as Keith Burrows, Charlie St. Cloud (2010) as Sam St. Cloud, Burning Bright (2010) as Tom Taylor, and voiced Victor Frankenstein in the 2012 3D animated horror film Frankenweenie.
In 2013, when he was 15, Tahan appeared in four films: Blood Ties as Michael Pierzynski, Blue Jasmine as Young Danny, Life of Crime as Bo Dawson, and The Harvest as Andy.
In 2017, Glen Rock-born actor Charlie Tahan portrayed Josh Templeton in Kevin Phillips’ psychological thriller Super Dark Times at the age of 19. The film, which starred Owen Campbell, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Max Talisman, and Amy Hargreaves, is one of Tahan’s most significant roles. The film received generally positive reviews and won the Best Feature Film award at the 17th Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, and Best Sound Design in a Feature Film at the 2017 Music+Sound Awards.
In the following years, Tahan appeared in several films: as Charlie in The Land of Steady Habits (2018), Ben in Poms (2019), Junior Sparks in III (2019), Michael in Drunk Bus (2020), Whitey in Unsubscribe (2020), Cadet Loughborough in The Pale Blue Eye (2022), Mark in I’ll Be Right There (2023), and Richie in Witchboard (2024). He is also set to play Al Kooper in the biographical drama A Complete Unknown, which is currently in post-production.
The I Am Legend Actor Also Had A Few TV Roles
Charlie Tahan has a few TV credits to his name. His first TV role was on FOX’s sci-fi series Fringe (2008), where he played Ben Stockton in the episode “The Equation.” He appeared as Calvin Arliss in four episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2010-2011) and as Michael Keenan in the episode “Some Kind of Hero” of Blue Bloods (2012).
From 2015 to 2016, he played Ben Burke in the American mystery sci-fi TV series Wayward Pines. In 2017, he starred as Wyatt Langmore in the Netflix crime drama series Ozark. The TV show received critical acclaim and earned 45 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He also appeared in Castle Rock (2018), FBI: Most Wanted (2020), and Monsterland (2020)
He Made His Directorial Debut In 2024
Tahan is also exploring work behind the camera. He made his directorial debut in 2024 when he co-wrote and directed a short film called Taxon. The film was released on January 4, 2024, on the video hosting platform Vimeo.
With this project, the actor is making a statement that something big could come from him as a director in the future.
, The Pale Blue Eye (2022) and for directing the short film Taxon in 2024.){kind=link}